All generations and engines together · 21,144 MOT tests in the 2025 data
One of the worst city cars per mile driven. Watch brakes and suspension. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating brakes advisories before you go.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The EPS motor and torque sensor unit fitted to the Agila can fail, leaving the steering heavy at parking speeds or cutting the assistance out altogether, sometimes triggering a warning light after repeated full-lock turns. It's reported on both generations and is common enough that specialist repairers offer fixed-price EPS column rebuilds rather than a new part from Vauxhall. Seen from around 8-10 years old regardless of mileage; a repair or reconditioned column runs roughly £150-£400 versus over £1,000 for a new unit from a dealer.
Owners report pads and discs wearing out unusually early, in some cases by 18 months and under 25,000 miles, and the ABS pump/hydraulic unit corroding internally on cars that have gone too long without a brake fluid change, which can mean a bill upwards of £1,000. The measured MOT data backs this up directly: brakes is the standout fault for this model. A 2002 recall also covered a brake master cylinder fault that could reduce braking performance, so the pattern of brake-related weakness on this car isn't new.
The 1.3 CDTI diesel (badged Z13DT, shared with Suzuki and Fiat) can develop a rattly, noisy timing chain as the tensioner and guides wear, worse on cold start-up. Left unaddressed it can stretch the chain enough to affect running, and a chain/tensioner/guide replacement is a few hundred pounds in labour-heavy work. Doesn't apply to petrol Agilas.
Manual cars get owner reports of a stiff or oddly-positioned clutch pedal and difficulty selecting gears cleanly, usually traced to a worn or maladjusted cable-operated clutch rather than the gearbox itself. A handful of owners report full manual gearbox replacement being needed at a dealer, quoted as high as several thousand pounds, though independent garages do it for a fraction of that. Worth a proper test drive through all gears rather than a quick shuffle round the block.
Some early Agila A (2000-2007) 1.2 16v cars have shown head gasket failure, with coolant getting into the oil and a mayonnaise-like residue under the oil filler cap, usually after a history of overheating or a neglected cooling system. It's not universal; the later K12B-engined cars (2008-on) are generally reported as a simpler, more robust design with few serial engine faults. Repair cost for a head gasket job is roughly £400-£700 in labour and parts.
Vauxhall issued two separate recalls covering the passenger airbag on the Agila: a 2008 recall to replace the airbag module cover where it might not deploy correctly, and a 2014 recall to replace the airbag wiring pigtail where the airbag might not function to specification. Both are free manufacturer recalls, not owner-pay repairs, but plenty of older cars on the used market still haven't had the work done.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 21,070 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.